Satanic Temple Unveils Statue for Oklahoma Statehouse

The Satanic Temple revealed the statue it wishes to place in front of the Oklahoma state capitol in Oklahoma City:

The New York-based Satanic Temple formally submitted its application to a panel that oversees the Capitol grounds, including an artist’s rendering that depicts Satan as Baphomet, a goat-headed figure with horns, wings and a long beard that’s often used as a symbol of the occult. In the rendering, Satan is sitting in a pentagram-adorned throne with smiling children next to him.

“The monument has been designed to reflect the views of Satanists in Oklahoma City and beyond,” temple spokesman Lucien Greaves said in a statement. “The statue will also have a functional purpose as a chair where people of all ages may sit on the lap of Satan for inspiration and contemplation.”

This is in response to a privately funded Ten Commandments monument placed on the grounds in 2012. On December 8, the Temple announced its plan to erect its own monument in Oklahoma City. Now the Oklahoma Capitol Preservation Commission is overrun with monument requests, and they will not consider any of them until an ACLU lawsuit against the Ten Commandments monument is over. A Hindu leader in Nevada, an animal rights group, and the Church of the Flying Spaghetti Monster are just a few that submitted monument ideas.

Greaves admitted the Temple is doing this to display what it sees as hypocrisy on behalf of Oklahoma legislators, though it is serious about the monument. It has managed to raise $20,000, but a few legislators said the commission will not approve this monument:

“I think you’ve got to remember where you are. This is Oklahoma, the middle of the heartland,” said Rep. Don Armes, R-Faxon. “I think we need to be tolerant of people who think different than us, but this is Oklahoma, and that’s not going to fly here.”

“No comment,” said Representative Michael Turner when Breitbart News asked him for a statement on the statue.